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Southern Thai Fried Chicken (Gai Tod Hat Yai)

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Southern Thai Fried Chicken
Photo by David Loftus

This is one of the best fried chickens ever. From southern Thailand, gai hat yai is known for its crispy skin, great aromatics, and super juicy meat. Traditionally, it’s served with crispy fried shallots and sticky rice, but we also often eat it with som tum thai (green papaya salad). Over the years I have experimented with many different variations in the dipping and coating sauce to make this dish right up there with other popular fried chicken dishes of the world.

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